Tubular skylight with dome flashing and protective waffle pattern corrugation

ABSTRACT

In a tubular skylight, an Aluminum sheet having corrugations that may be in a waffle pattern is formed with a hole that is pressed into a curb which is fastened over the turret of a roof-mounted skylight flashing. Roof tiles above the dome of the skylight are placed onto the sheet, while below the dome the sheet is placed over roof tiles and manually conformed thereto, owing to the corrugations. Any water that leaks past tiles above the dome will be directed by the sheet around the curb and down onto the tops of tiles that are below the dome, thereby providing a water seal for the skylight. Clips can be used to hold the lower edge of the sheet onto the tiles.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a continuation-in-part of co-pending U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 10/653,297, filed Sep. 2, 2003, incorporated herein byreference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to skylights.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Skylights are used to illuminate buildings in a pleasing andenergy-conserving way. Tubular skylights such as those made by thepresent assignee typically have a roof-mounted transparent cover ordome, a light conveying tube assembly extending down from the dome intothe building to a ceiling, and a light diffuser plate covering thebottom of the tube at the ceiling.

To mount the dome on the roof, a flashing typically is provided. Theflashing may have a flat skirt that is inclined to match the incline ofthe roof, and a cylindrical turret extending vertically upward from theskirt. The dome is fastened to the turret, with the tube assembly alsoengaging the turret to establish a single continuous light passagewaythrough the dome and down into the tube assembly.

Many roofs are tiled. To install a skylight, some of the tiles typicallyare removed to expose the flat roof substrate, and the skirt of theflashing is then positioned over a hole that is cut into the roofsubstrate. The tiles are then replaced around the flashing.

The present invention is an improvement to prevent subsequent waterleakage from the upper tile surface around the flashing/tile penetrationdown onto the roof substrate. As recognized herein, while previoussolutions to this problem are not without utility, they can result inincomplete coverage through which water can flow. Moreover, the presentinvention recognizes that the previous use of lead pieces, used becauseof its malleability such that it can be conformed by hand around thetops of the lower tiles, entails structural and health risks. Thepresent invention still further understands that rectangular multi-layercorrugated sealing pieces such as are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.6,503,601 not only fail to account for the above-noted geometricmismatch between tubular skylights and rectangular sealing pieces, butalso require comparatively elaborate multi-layer construction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A tubular skylight includes a transparent dome, a flashing coupled tothe dome to mount the dome on a roof, and a skylight tube dependingdownwardly from the dome. The system also includes a sheet of corrugatedmetal mounted on the roof and coupled to the flashing. The sheet has acircular hole defining a periphery closely spaced from the flashing.Owing to the corrugations, the sheet is conformable to roof tiles toprovide a water seal, as well as a rodent and insect barrier. Thecorrugations can include a first set of parallel corrugations and asecond set of parallel corrugations, with the corrugations in the firstset being orthogonal to the corrugations in the second set.

In a preferred embodiment, the sheet is formed with a curbcircumscribing the hole, and the curb is coupled to the flashing. In onenon-limiting implementation, the flashing defines an upper circular edgeand bendable tabs extend radially inwardly from the curb of the sheet.The tabs may be bent over the edge to engage the sheet with the flashingwithout the need for fasteners. The sheet may be made of Aluminum, or itmay be made of Copper, Lead, malleable Zinc, plastic, or rubber.Preferably, the corrugations of the sheet extend generally parallel tothe incline of the roof when the sheet is mounted on the roof.

In another aspect, a method for mounting a tubular skylight includesreceiving a corrugated single piece sheet defining a hole and a curbrising above and circumscribing the hole. The method further includesengaging the curb with a skylight flashing on a roof with an upperportion of the sheet being disposed underneath at least one roof tileabove the flashing and with a lower portion of the sheet being disposedon top of at least one roof tile below the flashing. A skylight covercan then be coupled with the flashing. The corrugations may be in awaffle pattern.

In still another aspect, a lighting system includes a transparentskylight cover, a light diffuser, and a tubular structure extendablebetween the cover and diffuser. A single corrugated sheet is configuredfor circumscribing the tubular structure between the cover and thediffuser to impede water leakage through a roof above which the cover isto be disposed. The sheet has at least first and second elongatedcorrugations that are perpendicular to each other.

In another aspect, a device includes a corrugated single piece sheetdefining a hole and a curb rising above and circumscribing the hole. Thesheet has corrugations in a waffle pattern.

In still another aspect, a method for engaging a corrugated member witha tile roof includes disposing a corrugated metal sheet over at leasttwo overlapping roof tiles, and fastening a leading edge of the sheet toat least one of the tiles. The sheet may be engaged with a skylightflashing on a roof, and a skylight cover can be coupled with theflashing. The method can include deforming the sheet to conform to atleast one roof tile. The sheet can be fastened to the roof by sliding aleg of a clip between the tiles, and then bending a tab of the clip overthe sheet. A fastener may then be disposed through at least the tab andsheet to hold the clip to the sheet.

In another aspect, a roof sealing system includes one or more clips,each formed with a first portion and a second portion. The system alsoincludes a corrugated sealing member that is disposable over some rooftiles and under other roof tiles and that is generally conformable tothe tiles. The first portion of each clip can be disposed betweenoverlapping tiles and the second portion of each clip can be folded overan edge of the sheet to facilitate fastening the clip to the sheet.

In another aspect, a tubular skylight has a transparent dome, a flashingcoupled to the dome to mount the dome on a roof, and a skylight tubedepending downwardly from the dome. A sheet of corrugated metal ismounted on the roof and is coupled to the flashing. The sheet isconformable to roof tiles to provide a seal. The sheet may be madeintegrally with the flashing and may have one and only one set ofparallel corrugations.

The details of the present invention, both as to its structure andoperation, can best be understood in reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts, and inwhich:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a partially exploded perspective view of the present skylightwith corrugated sealing member, with portions cut away;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the corrugated sealing member;

FIG. 3 is a top view of an alternate embodiment, showing a corrugatedsheet having corrugations formed in a waffle pattern;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional diagram taken along the line 4-4 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a detail view taken around the circle 5 shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a side view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a detail view taken around the circle 7 shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a detail view taken around the circle 8 shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 9 is a plan view of a clip for holding the corrugated sealingmember onto roof tiles;

FIGS. 10-12 are perspective views illustrating how the clip shown inFIG. 9 can be used to hold the corrugated sealing member onto curved(“S”) tiles, with portions of the roof cut away for clarity; and

FIGS. 13-15 are perspective views illustrating how the clip shown inFIG. 9 can be used to hold the corrugated sealing member onto concretetiles, with portions of the roof cut away for clarity.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring initially to FIG. 1, a skylight is shown, generally designated10, that includes a roof-mounted hard plastic transparent dome 12, aninternally reflective light conveying tube assembly 14 covered by thedome 12, and a ceiling-mounted light diffuser plate 16 covering thebottom end of the tube assembly 14. The preferred skylight 10 is atubular skylight. A metal flashing 18 having a flat skirt 20 andgenerally cylindrical turret 22 rising at an incline from the skirt 20is mounted over a circular hole (not shown) that is cut into a roof 24of a building by means known in the art to support the dome 12.

A preferably unitary single piece sheet 26 of corrugated metal such asAluminum is mounted on the roof 24. As shown in FIG. 1, the sheet 26 iscoupled to the flashing 18 in accordance with disclosure below. As canbe appreciated in cross-reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the sheet 26 has acircular hole formed in it which defines a periphery 28 that is closelyspaced from the turret 22 of the flashing 18. In accordance with presentprinciples, the sheet 26 is conformable to roof tiles 30, and inparticular the sheet 26 conforms over the top of roof tiles 30 that arebelow the turret 22, to provide a seal.

With more specificity in reference to FIG. 1, the sheet 26 is formedwith a cylindrical or frusto-conical shaped curb 32 that circumscribesthe hole. To form the curb 32, a hole is cut into the sheet 26 and thenthe portion of the sheet 26 that is adjacent the hole to pressed intothe curb configuration shown. Then, in the preferred embodiment as bestshown in FIG. 2, the top of the curb 32 is bent inwardly to a horizontalorientation and then cut to define plural bendable tabs 34 for couplingthe sheet 26 to the flashing 18. Specifically, the tabs 34, which extendradially inwardly from the curb 32 of the sheet 26, can be manually bentover the top edge of the flashing 18 to engage the sheet 26 with theflashing 18 without the need for fasteners.

With the above disclosure in mind, and now referring back to FIG. 1,tiles can be removed from the roof 24 and the flashing 18 positioned onthe roof with the skirt 20 flat against the roof 24 as shown. Tiles 30below the flashing 18 can be placed back on the roof 24. Then, thecorrugated sheet 26 can be fitted over the turret 22 of the flashing 18,with the curb 32 of the sheet 26 circumscribing the turret 22. The tabs34 can then be bent over the top edge of the turret 22, and tiles 30above the flashing 18 replaced over the upper part of the sheet 26 asshown in FIG. 1. Preferably, the elongated corrugations defined by thesheet 26 extend generally parallel to the incline of the roof 24 asshown in FIG. 1 when the sheet 26 is mounted on the roof 24. In anotherembodiment, the corrugated sheet is made integrally with the skirt ofthe flashing, i.e., the corrugated sheet is established by corrugatingthe skirt (which is laid flush against the roof) of a flashing.

Next, if desired a flashing extension 36 can be fastened by, e.g.,screws to both the dome 12 and the flashing 18 and/or curb 32 to couplethe flashing 18 to the dome 12. The flashing extension 36 can beestablished by one or more tubes, and it may be made integrally with theflashing if desired. In any case, owing to the corrugations of the sheet26, a person can easily deform the sheet 26 as necessary to generallyconform to the tiles 30 that are below the dome 12 and that lieunderneath the lower portion of the sheet 26.

With this invention, any water that leaks down past tiles 30 which areabove the dome 12 will be directed by the sheet 26 around the curb 32and down onto the tops of tiles 30 that are below the dome 12, therebyproviding a water seal for the skylight 10.

Now referring to FIGS. 3-8, an alternate embodiment of the corrugatedsheet is shown, generally designated 40. Like the sheet 26 shown inFIGS. 1 and 2, the sheet 40 shown in FIGS. 3-8 is made from a singlepiece of metal such as Aluminum and defines a hole 42 with a curb 44rising above a flat portion 46 and circumscribing the hole 42. Pluralbendable tabs 48 may be formed around the upper edge of the curb 44 forcoupling the sheet 40 to a flashing such as the flashing 18 shown inFIGS. 1 and 2.

In accordance with the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3-8, the sheet 40 hascorrugations formed in a waffle pattern. With specific reference toFIGS. 5, 7, and 8, the sheet 40 is formed, substantially throughout itssurface, with a first set of parallel elongated corrugations 50 and asecond set of elongated parallel corrugations 52, with the first set ofcorrugations 50 being substantially perpendicular to the second set ofcorrugations 52. In one non-limiting embodiment, the depth D1 from peakto trough of the first corrugations 50 may be one hundred twenty mils,whereas the depth D2 from peak to trough of the second corrugations 52may be sixty mils. The corrugations 50, 52 may be roll-formed into aflat substrate to establish the corrugated sheet 40, with the shallowerset of corrugations formed before the deeper set of corrugations.

With the waffle pattern shown in FIGS. 3-8, the sheet 40 may be readilybent as needed to assume, e.g., the curb configuration and otherconfigurations.

FIGS. 9-15 show one preferred non-limiting way to hold the corrugatedsealing member of the present invention onto tile roofs. In theembodiments shown in FIGS. 9-15, a clip is used to hold the leading edgeof a corrugated sealing member, such as the sheet 26 shown in FIG. 1,onto curved S-tiles (FIGS. 10-12) or flat concrete tiles (FIGS. 13-15).Preferably, plural clips are used.

With more specificity, FIG. 9 shows an L-shaped metal clip, generallydesignated 60, that has a relatively long leg 62 orthogonally andunitarily joining a shorter tab 64. A bend relief between the tab 64 andleg 62 can be established at least in part by notches 66 formed in theedge of the clip 60 as shown. Two fastener holes 68 may be formed in theclip 60, one in the upper center of the tab 64 as shown and the othermore or less intermediate the notches 66.

With the above clip structure in mind, reference is now made to FIGS.10-12 to illustrate how the clip 60 holds the present corrugated sealingmember onto a roof composed of plural overlapping curved “S”-tiles 70.As shown in cross-reference to FIGS. 9 and 10, the leg 62 of the clip 60is slid under the leading edge 72 of the sheet 26 between overlappingtiles 70, i.e., the leg 62 is sandwiched between a bottom surface of afirst tile 70 a and a top surface of a second tile 70 b. Next, as bestshown in FIG. 12 the tab 64 is bent over the leading edge 72 of thecorrugated sheet 26. In one embodiment the leading edge 72 is thelower-most edge (relative to the roof) of the sheet 26. It can beappreciated in reference to FIG. 12 that the tab 64 may be folded 90Ealong the bend line defined between the notches 66 shown in FIG. 9, andthen folded another 90E along a bend line that is defined intermediatethe screw holes 68. Then, a fastener such as a screw 74 can be disposedthrough the holes 68 and intervening corrugated sheet 26 to hold theclip 60 (the leg 62 of which is already held between overlapping tiles70) onto the sheet 26. Plural clips 60 may be used along the length ofthe leading edge 72 of the corrugated sheet 26 to hold the leading edge72 against the roof tiles.

FIGS. 13-15 show that the same clip 60 may be used in the same manner asdescribed above to hold the leading edge 72 of the corrugated sheet 26against flat concrete roof tiles 76 that overlap each other, i.e., theleg 62 of the clip 60 is slid between adjacent flat concrete tiles 76and the tab 64 then folded over and fastened to the corrugated sheet 26as set forth above.

It is to be understood that while the clip shown in FIG. 9 is a costeffective and convenient way to hold the present corrugated sealingmember onto tile roofs to resist spring-back of the sealing member fromthe tiles as well as to resist wind loads and wind-driven rain that canseparate the sealing member from the tiles, other fasteners can be usedincluding, without limitation, adhesives and screws that can directlyengage the corrugated member with one or more tiles.

While the particular TUBULAR SKYLIGHT WITH DOME FLASHING AND PROTECTIVECORRUGATION as herein shown and described in detail is fully capable ofattaining the above-described objects of the invention, it is to beunderstood that it is the presently preferred embodiment of the presentinvention and is thus representative of the subject matter which isbroadly contemplated by the present invention, that the scope of thepresent invention fully encompasses other embodiments which may becomeobvious to those skilled in the art, and that the scope of the presentinvention is accordingly to be limited by nothing other than theappended claims, in which reference to an element in the singular is notintended to mean “one and only one” unless explicitly so stated, butrather “one or more”. All structural and functional equivalents to theelements of the above-described preferred embodiment that are known orlater come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art areexpressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to beencompassed by the present claims. Moreover, it is not necessary for adevice or method to address each and every problem sought to be solvedby the present invention, for it to be encompassed by the presentclaims. Furthermore, no element, component, or method step in thepresent disclosure is intended to be dedicated to the public regardlessof whether the element, component, or method step is explicitly recitedin the claims. No claim element herein is to be construed under theprovisions of 35 U.S.C. '112, sixth paragraph, unless the element isexpressly recited using the phrase “means for” or, in the case of amethod claim, the element is recited as a “step” instead of an “act”.Absent express definitions herein, claim terms are to be given allordinary and accustomed meanings that are not irreconciliable with thepresent specification and file history.

1-6. (canceled)
 7. A method for engaging a corrugated member with a tileroof, comprising: disposing a corrugated metal sheet over at least twooverlapping roof tiles; and fastening a leading edge of the sheet to atleast one of the tiles.
 8. The method of claim 7, further comprisingengaging the sheet with a skylight flashing on a roof.
 9. The method ofclaim 8, further comprising coupling a skylight cover with the flashing.10. The method of claim 7, further comprising deforming the sheet toconform to at least one roof tile.
 11. The method of claim 7, whereinthe act of fastening comprises: sliding a leg of a clip between thetiles; bending a tab of the clip over the sheet; and disposing afastener through at least the tab and sheet to hold the clip to thesheet.
 12. The method of claim 7, wherein the act of fastening comprisesat least one of; disposing adhesive between the sheet and at least onetile; and engaging a fastener with the sheet and at least one tile.13-14. (canceled)
 15. A roof sealing system, comprising: at least oneclip formed with a first portion and a second portion; a corrugatedscaling member disposable over some roof dies and under other roof tilesand generally conformable to the tiles, wherein the first portion of theclip can be disposed between overlapping tiles and the second portion ofthe clip can be folded over an edge of the sheet to facilitate fasteningthe clip to the sheet.
 16. The system of claim 15, comprising pluralclips and plural threaded fasteners for engaging the clips with thesheet.
 17. The system of claim 16, wherein the first portion is a legand the second portion is a tab shorter than the leg and orthogonalthereto. 18-19. (canceled)